February 8th – 2013 Regular Legislative Session Day 26

In the Local Government Committee meeting today, were hearing three bills. House Bill 1224 allows a county that elected to fully plan under the Growth Management Act (GMA), to remove itself and its cities from the obligation to fully plan under the GMA if the county has 20,000 or fewer inhabitants and other requirements are satisfied; expires the removal authority (opt-out) on December 31, 2014; bars a county that has adopted a removal resolution from re-electing to plan under the GMA for at least 10 years from the date of adoption of the removal resolution; and requires a county that has adopted a removal resolution to adopt development regulations to assure the conservation of designation agricultural, forest, and mineral resource lands. This is a good bill and a first step in providing other jurisdictions the opportunity to end their planning under the GMA. Of course, Futurewise is already messing with the bill and has sent us language for an amendment that completely undermines the intent of the bill. Please contact your Representatives and ask them to oppose the proposed amendment to HB 1224 and move the bill out of committee without an amendment.

House Bill 1368 deletes requirements obligating the State Treasurer to make quarterly transfers of $2.5 million from the Liquor Excise Tax Fund to the State General Fund, thus resulting in additional moneys being transferred to counties, cities, and towns and establishes a new distribution formula for moneys in the Liquor Revolving Fund.

House Bill 1512 establishes and clarifies the authority of water purveyors to supply fire suppression water facilities and services for cities, towns, and counties, and to recover the costs of providing those facilities and services and provides liability protections for purveyors supplying fire suppression water facilities and services.

We may consider several bills for Executive Action on several bills today as well.